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Pope Leo XIV issues historic apology, heads to Spain

newsJun 6, 202622581

Pope Leo XIV apologized for the Vatican's role in legitimizing slavery during his June 3 general audience in St. Peter's Square and departed Vatican City that day for a weeklong trip to Spain. He arrives in Madrid on June 6 for a six-day apostolic visit centered on migration, social justice, and repeated calls to overcome political polarization. The trip, the first papal visit to Spain in 15 years, will include meetings with civil authorities and stops in Barcelona as the pope seeks to strengthen church engagement amid political turbulence under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

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